- The suspect arrived at the property and struck Ann Widdecombe 21 times with a hammer, asking her, “Don’t suppose you have bank cards and ID?” before the attack.
- Ms Widdecombe was found face-down on the kitchen floor the next day by a gardener after she missed a Channel 5 interview, with a provisional cause of death being “blunt force injury to the head”.
- Joshua Kerry was arrested at his home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, over 300 miles away, where a hammer and black gloves with Ms Widdecombe’s DNA were found in bins outside his property.
- Kerry appeared in court, where Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring remanded him in custody to appear at the Old Bailey, stating: “You are charged with an offence of murder which can only be tried in the crown court.”
Joshua Kerry, 28, has been charged with the murder of former MP Ann Widdecombe, who was brutally attacked in her Devon home. The court heard that he allegedly struck her 21 times with a hammer before stealing her wallet.12
The incident occurred on July 8, when Kerry reportedly arrived at Widdecombe's remote bungalow and asked her for bank cards and ID. A doorbell camera captured his red Vauxhall Corsa arriving at the scene, and a hallway camera recorded the moment he entered her home.
After the attack, Widdecombe was found face-down on her kitchen floor the next day by a gardener who had been asked to check on her after she missed a scheduled interview. The provisional cause of death was determined to be blunt force injury to the head.
Kerry was arrested days later at his home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, where a hammer and black gloves containing Widdecombe's DNA were discovered in bins outside his property. During the court proceedings, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring stated that the murder charge could only be tried in the crown court, and Kerry was remanded in custody.567
Counter Terrorism Policing head Laurence Taylor indicated that the investigation is exploring whether the attack was politically motivated, given Widdecombe's profile and the nature of the assault. Taylor emphasized that understanding the motivation behind the attack is crucial to the ongoing investigation.
“Doorbell and hallway cameras captured the suspect arriving and asking for bank cards before the attack. He was arrested at his home over 300 miles away in Rotherham, where a hammer and black gloves with Ms Widdecombe's DNA were recovered from bins, prosecutor Kashir Malik said.”
The Independent
